Dreaming Shallow
by JSparks
Summary: Zelda has never been a "people person". She's shy and quiet but meets someone who opens her eyes. There's just one problem. What could it be?... Sorry my summaries blow. Renamed
1. Chapter 1

_Let's pretend Zelda never went to Melee._

**Chapter One**

Zelda stood and stared at the huge mansion before her. She checked the little scrap of paper that held the address she sought. She looked on both sides of her to see dark forests and empty fields, not another building in sight. This had to be it.

Zelda had not expected the mansion to be so ominous. The estate was huge and covered in shadows. The wood paneling looked slightly weather beaten, the paint chipping here and there. The sky above was completely black, the moon and stars hidden behind thick, black clouds. It was late at night, so perhaps it would look more inviting in the morning.

She gathered her luggage and made her way to the front door. Zelda lifted the heavy brass knocker and let it bang against the deep red, almost black, wood. She cringed, it was much louder that she expected.

The door slowly creaked open a crack to reveal a shadowed figure. The figures eyes glowed red.

"Hello Zelda. Welcome to your nightmare." A deep voice said and began cackling maniacally.

Zelda gasped, finally realizing who the figure was. Ganondorf! She stumbled backwards and began running as fast as she could, away from the mansion.

Link walked into the front room to see Ganondorf holding his sides and wheezing with laughter, the front door slightly open.

"What's so funny?" The Hero of Time questioned.

"Z-zelda. She's... She's here." Ganondorf said between laughs.

Link pushed the other man out of the way, sending him toppling to the floor. He sprinted out the door to see Zelda running down the road.

"Wait! Zelda, come back! It's me, it's Link!" Link shouted as he ran after her, waving his arms and jumping in the air.

Finally, Zelda slowed and turned around, her face petrified. She stopped when she saw her friend, relief washing over her face. She flicked her wrist and teleported next to Link. She added a mental note to herself to remember that she had the ability to teleport, she just did a lot of running for nothing.

"Sorry about that. He just arrived and found out you were coming soon." Link said as he gasped for breath, hands on his knees. Zelda nodded and placed a hand on Link's shoulder, teleporting them back to the house entrance. Link helped Zelda carry her belongings to her new room, chattering away happily.

As soon as they reached her room, Zelda politely thanked him and shut the door.

"Let me know if you need anything!" Link said as it was closing. Zelda smiled before it clicked shut. She sighed heavily and leaned against the cool wall. She was still a little shaky from her experience with Ganondorf, but she was breathing carefully, trying to calm herself.

She began unpacking her bags and laying them out in her room. A bed, slightly larger that a twin, sat in one corner. There was a small desk pushed up against the opposite wall next to the closet door. The room was small, but oddly homey.

There was a vase of purple and white, her favorite color combination, flowers on the desk. Zelda smiled, she knew Link was behind it. Link had been her best friend for as long as she could remember, he knew everything about her.

When she was done arranging her belongings, she decided it would be best to socialize with the other contestants. Zelda wasn't particularly fond of interaction with strangers, but she would have to sooner or later. She hesitated before leaving her room. She could just stay and curl up with a book, everyone probably expected her to be tired from her journey. No, it would be best to meet everyone now.

Zelda meandered into the living room where most of the other smashers had gathered. The room was dark, but they had a roaring fire going. Zelda had always found something enchanting about fire, she wasn't quite sure why, but it always enticed her.

Tearing her eyes away from the flames, she spotted Link deep in conversation with a man dressed in blue spandex and a red helmet. Zelda picked her way over and sat next to him. Link's face brightened when he saw her.

"Falcon, meet Zelda! She's my best friend from back home!" Link said as he threw an arm across Zelda's shoulder, crushing her slightly. Zelda smiled weakly and waved.

"Quite nice to have another lady in the house! Something better to look at than this thing, here." Captain Falcon joked, in a heavy Australian accent, as he lightly pushed Link. Link laughed and knocked him on the head. "So, how are you enjoyin' the mansion so far?"

"It's nice, a bit creepy, though. I thought I was at the wrong house when I first arrived."

Falcon and Link snorted, "Oh, Link has told us all about that! Well, it definitely is creepy. It's haunted, you know."

Zelda blushed, thinking of her earlier mistake. "What do you mean haunted?"

Link nudged his arm and mumbled, "Not now, you'll scare her on her first night." Falcon looked disappointed and bowed his head.

"No, please. It's okay, I wish to know." Zelda said, her heart beat a little faster at the prospect of a ghost story.

Falcon rubbed his hands together and grinned mischievously.

"Well, last year's tournament was called Melee and there was one smasher, a young lad. He was a nice kid, one that everyone liked, but her had a fiery temper. He was in the championships, the final round. Everyone thought he was going to win it all, they both had one stock left, but he had near perfect health and his opponent was in the three hundred percents. All of a sudden a Smash Ball appeared. His opponent crushed it in one sweep of the sword. He was knocked out, losing the tournament."

Falcon cleared his throat before continuing.

"He took losing terribly, wouldn't look the champion in the eye, throwing a near tantrum! Everyone thought it was natural, so we all left him alone. The next day we found him. He'd killed himself in the attic."

Zelda gasped, covering her mouth with her hands.

"Now, every once in a while somethin' spooky'll happen. We think it's him. Some even say they hear whispers in his voice."

"What was his name?" Zelda whispered breathily.

"Roy."

At that moment, the room had gone silent. A young-ish man, dressed entirely in blue, stood scraping his chair back on the hardwood floor. Without a word, he turned and left the room. Another man glared at the trio. Zelda squeaked when his eyes locked with her own. The man abruptly turned and followed the other out the door.

The room slowly got back into its rumble of conversation.

"That blue fellow, that's Marth. He was last year's champion." Captain Falcon said in a low voice.

"He was Roy's best friend." Link said sadly, his eyes lowered.

"That's terrible!" She smacked Falcon on the arm. "You shouldn't have told me that story when he was around! I can't even imagine how he feels."

Falcon grimaced and Link stood. "Come on, Zelda. I'll walk you back to your room."

Zelda nodded and followed her friend out the door. They walked in silence until they reached her room.

"Don't listen to what he said. The mansion isn't haunted, he was just playing a trick on you." Link said as he scuffed his boot on the carpet. Zelda nodded and bid him goodnight.

Zelda locked the door and threw off her dress. She jumped in bed and wrapped herself in blankets.

She tried to ignore the stormy weather outside, and the rushing wind which, if she listened carefully, sounded faintly like whispers.

_Ooooh scary! I was suddenly struck with inspiration for a spooky story because it's raining and creepy out now! I hope you enjoy!_

_And why, you may ask, does Captain Falcon have an Australian accent? Because accents are cool. Especially Australian ones. Don't question it! ;) _


	2. Chapter 2

_To LoZfanD, Thank you soooooo much! :)_

_To all, I hope you enjoy!_

**Chapter Two**

Three days had passed since Zelda first arrived at the mansion, and already, Zelda found living there completely unbearable.

Every way she turned, there was someone there. She never had a moment to herself. Zelda was as polite as she could be, but sometimes she came across as stuck up. It wasn't that she was, but Zelda had never been a people person. She much preferred being on her own, being able to think in privacy.

Zelda wandered around the house, searching for a secluded area. She strolled to the garden only to see Link, Marth, and Kirby leaping after a Frisbee. Link laughed as Kirby and Marth both lunged at it at the same moment, crashing into each other and rolling to the ground. Zelda smiled and turned back into the mansion.

She walked past the kitchen, where Peach was singing as she mixed something in a giant bowl. Ness and Lucas hovered nearby, staring at the batter-covered spoon she held.

Zelda glanced into the open door of the library. Ike and Captain Falcon were arguing over something while Samus, in her zero suit, lounged on the couch, absentmindedly flicking her whip.

Passing by the living room; Pikachu, Jigglypuff, Toon Link, and Yoshi stared at the TV screen. Bright colors flashed and a high- voiced yelled rapidly in some foreign language. Zelda sighed. Was there anywhere in this house she could get some peace and quiet?

Zelda climbed the stairs, almost falling when a laughing blue blur streaked by her.

"Sorry!" The blur called back.

When she reached the top of the stairs, she almost collided with Pit, who came barreling around a corner.

"Have you seen Sonic?" He growled. Zelda pointed down the stairs and Pit flew past her.

Zelda continued down the hall, passing the other smashers rooms. She could just go back to her room, but she spent so much time in there, she was getting sick of looking at it.

When she reached the end of the hall, she stood facing a black door. Trying the handle, she realized it was locked. Looking around to make sure no one was around, she sparked a tiny bit of Din's Fire to melt the lock.

Zelda quickly entered and shut the door quietly behind her. Before her was a flight of stairs. She realized this must be to the attic. Shivering, she remembered Falcon's story. Straightening her shoulders, she set forth up the stairs, she wasn't afraid of a silly ghost story.

Zelda reached another door at the top of the stairs, this time unlocked. She walked into the room and coughed as a swirl of dust rose every time she took a step. Opening a small window, she blasted the wind around her, creating a mini tornado of dust. She carefully maneuvered it across the room and out the window. Satisfied, she shut the window and looked around the dark room.

It was small, about the size of her bedroom. A couch that looked like it had been slashed with someones claws, the set on fire in one corner, was pushed to the wall. A few rusty shields lay stacked in a corner, a lamp with a broken shade perched precariously on top. The was a small table, covered in leather-bound books. A few other knick-knacks and odd items lay around the room.

Zelda pulled the switch on the lamp and was pleased to see it still worked. She walked over to the table and picked up one of the old books. The leather was carved into an intricate pattern of flowers and leaves, flowing script winding through.

She opened the book and squinted at the words. Even with the glow of the lamp, the lighting was too dim to make out the text. Zelda knelt and dug through a cardboard box by her feet.

After a few minutes of searching, she found a tarnished candlestick and a half melted candle. Setting it on a small end table, she flicked her fingers and lit the candle. Zelda stared at the soft flickering light. Without taking her eyes from it, she dropped her book on the table, knocking down the candle. The flame caught a piece of blank paper and flared.

Entranced by the growing flames, Zelda sat motionless, watching the fire dance across the table.

Blinking and shaking her head, she grabbed a pillow and beat the end table until the flames disappeared. She sighed and furrowed her brow. Blowing on the smoking table, she lightly brushed the charred paper bits to the floor.

Noticing something odd, Zelda leaned closer and squinted at the burn marks in the wood. There was something strange about the way they were formed in one corner. While the rest was clouded and blurry looking, this part was more defined.

Leaning closer, Zelda made out three letters. Roy.

Gasping, Zelda leaped up and dashed out the door, down the stairs, and into her room.

She leaned her back against the door, tipped her head back and closed her eyes. She hugged herself, trying to steady her heavy breathing. Zelda put her hands to her face, her mind racing.

She was being silly, wasn't she? It had to be her imagination, or maybe just a coincidence. It probably didn't even say _Roy_, it was probably just some smudges that looked like it. That was it. But the lines were so precise...

It must have been a joke. Falcon or Link had gone up there and left some kind of secret substance there to make out his name. But how did they know she would go up there? How did they know she would drop a candle?

The wind howled by Zelda's window, making it rattle. It had begun to storm again, it sounded almost violent. Zelda walked over to secure it more tightly. As she locked in the latch, a motion caught her eye. Just beyond the light of the mansion, a figure stood. Zelda squinted at it and leaned towards the window. The figure wore a cape that swirled around it's ankles. It's wild hair blew back in the wind. Other than that, she couldn't distinguish who it was.

Zelda pressed her face to the icy glass. Suddenly, a branch flew out of nowhere and crashed into the window! Zelda shrieked as she flailed backwards.

Zelda spun around as her door banged open. Marth stood before her, his eyes wide.

"Are you okay? I heard you scream." Marth said as he walked over to her and gently grabbed her arm, looking concerned.

"I-I'm fine. A branch hit my window, that's all... I don't like storms." Zelda mumbled, avoiding his gaze. She shifted her arm and he let go.

"I love storms. I don't know why. I always have." Zelda looked up the see Marth staring out the window. His eyes looked far off and dreamy. "He did too."

The last sentence he whispered so softly Zelda thought she might have imagined it. Zelda suddenly was struck by his strained expression. She reached out and took his hand lightly in her own. Marth seemed surprised, but didn't pull away.

"Are you alright?" She whispered, her voice trembling. Marth furrowed his brow and looked at his feet.

"Yeah. It's nothing..." He pulled his hand away and walked quickly out the door.

Zelda's cheeks burned. Why had she grabbed his hand? That was so unlike her, he was practically a stranger.

Letting out a slow breath, she climbed into bed and buried her head in the covers.

_Oooooh mysterious! Thank you so much to my two lovely reviewers, you guys make me smile and feel all warm inside! :) _

_Anyway, I hope you guys like it!_


	3. Chapter 3

_To InsanityPika, you have basically made my life! You are the first person ever to make me one of your favorite authors and I will love you forever!_

_I hope everyone likes it :)_

**Chapter Three**

Zelda woke up determined. Today she was going back into the attic.

For a whole week, she had stayed far away from the creepy room and was constantly on edge. The three burned markings were etched in her mind, she couldn't concentrate on anything else. She was doing terrible in her matches, losing to Bowser and just barely defeating the Ice Climbers.

She had to settle this, losing to Bowser? This was pathetic. Zelda needed to go back to the attic for her own sanity... as well as her pride.

Zelda stood at the top stairs, staring at the dark wooden door that concealed the attic. She grasped the handle and forced her hand to turn. She stepped into the room and noticed the light was out. In her haste, she had left it on. It was probably burned out by now. Zelda reached out anyway and tried the switch.

The light snapped on in a friendly glow. Zelda tipped her head to one side, how did it still work? Her hand trembled on the switch.

Someone must have seen the light and come up here to turn it off. Zelda was sure that's what happened. She clenched her hand into a fist as she moved to the back of the room.

Kneeling on the couch, she examined the burned table. The candle still lay where she had set it, the book she had been looking at still open face-down on the floor. Zelda trailed her fingers along the table surface, her fingertips turning black.

There it was. Clearly burned into the table, as if someone had written it in charcoal. _Roy. _Zelda scratched at it with her nail, frowning.

"Roy." Zelda whispered. Her head shot up as a pile of papers fluttered to the floor. She glanced at the window, it was closed. Zelda sprang up and walked to the papers scattered on the floor. Her heart pounded as she scanned the room.

A shimmer in the edge of her vision caught her attention.

The candle flickered as a little flame danced on the wick. Zelda rushed towards it and brought her face as close as she could. Her nose warmed in the fire's soft heat. She leaned back, perplexed. What did this mean? Was there a ghost here? It had to be some kind of trick.

"What is this?" Zelda whispered hoarsely, eyes still locked on the flame.

"_Fire_." a voice breathed behind her.

Zelda jumped up and spun around. A man stood by the door. He looked young, maybe 19 or early twenties. He was dressed in deep blue and white pants. A navy and red cape hung on his shoulders, his wild red hair was held away from his face by a blue headband. A sword hung on his side. His whole body was covered in a strange dull sheen.

He shuffled his feet and scratched the back of his neck, grinning sheepishly.

Zelda stepped closed to him. He stood up straighter.

"Who are you? I haven't seen you in the mansion before." Zelda said, hoping her voice sounded strong. Her heart was about to beat out of her chest. She slowly crept closer.

"I'm Roy." The boy said. Zelda gasped as she got close enough to notice that she could see right through him! She stumbled backwards and grabbed the candlestick tightly in both hands.

"Stay away from me!" Zelda cried as she held the candle before her. She suddenly realized how pointless it was, he was a ghost, she couldn't hurt him. She clenched the candlestick anyway and backed up against the wall. He was blocking the door, she couldn't escape!

"No! It's okay! I won't hurt you!" Roy said as he stepped tentatively forward, his hand outstretched. He looked worried. Zelda breathed hard as she shrank to the ground, pulling her knees to her chest.

"What do you want?" Zelda cringed as he came closer, his body parts sporadically disappearing and reappearing. He knelt in front of her, about three feet away.

"A friend." The ghost said and bit his lip. Zelda's fear slightly melted as she noticed the despairing look on his face. He played with one of his fingerless gloves and peered up at her anxiously. He sighed sadly, "You can leave, I won't bother you again."

Roy faded away and reappeared next to the window. Zelda sprang up and scrambled to the door. She hesitated before opening it and looked back at Roy. She flung open the door and ran to her room.

Zelda sat on her bed, rocking herself back and forth. She couldn't get that last image of Roy out of her mind. He was leaning against the wall, his head bowed. His face was so heartbroken, he looked close to tears. If ghosts could cry, that is.

Zelda sat at her desk, picturing Roy's desperate face.

She knew what she had to do.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter Four**

The next day, Zelda sprang out of bed and raced to the bathroom. She showered in record time and quickly dressed and fixed her hair. She went to the kitchen and ate rapidly.

"Someone's hungry this morning." Falcon commented warmly as he sat nearby with a cup of coffee. Zelda laughed lightly as she zoomed out of the kitchen.

Her heart pounded faster and faster as she approached the attic door. Stepping inside, she looked around. The room looked the same, Roy was nowhere to be seen.

"Roy?" she breathed. The air a few feet away from her began to shimmer.

"You came back!" The shimmer shouted as it seemed to solidify into a human body. Roy stood grinning broadly. Zelda smiled shyly. "I didn't think you would. Not many others would. I probably wouldn't either."

"I couldn't leave you... you looked so sad."

"I was so excited when you first came in here, I practiced all night trying to make myself visible. I'm not very good at it yet, though." He laughed and, as if to prove a point, his legs disappeared out from under him. A few seconds later they returned.

"You couldn't do it before?"

"No, I've tried before, but I think I'm finally strong enough now." He scratched his head and glanced at his transparent body.

"How do you do it?" Zelda inquired, fascinated.

"I don't know. I just think about being seen really hard, and then I just appear. I have to picture my whole body, though. Or else this happens!" He held up an arm and his hand faded away. Roy chuckled and uncurled his fingers as the hand returned in sight.

Zelda laughed, too, and sat cross-legged on the floor. Roy did the same, facing her.

"How long have you been up here?" Zelda inquired.

"I don't know. I'd say almost a year now." His eyebrows crinkled in concentration.

"Is it lonely?" Zelda asked softly. Roy bowed his head and fiddled with his fingers.

"Yeah. I've been up here by myself for so long, for while I thought I was going to go crazy."

He laughed nervously, still gazing at his hands.

"Marth used to come up here when it first happened. He would stay for hours, just talking. I would talk back, but he never heard me. Then I couldn't do anything. I tried to move things, let him know I was there. Nothing worked." Roy said gloomily.

"He doesn't come anymore?" Zelda asked, although she already knew the answer.

"No. He stayed in the mansion for about a month after everyone left. I think he went a bit mad up here. Finally, one day he lost it, completely wrecking the room. I'd never seen anyone like that, so broken. It was only after he caught the couch on fire did he stop. He left and the next day he came back and cleaned the place up. Then I watched him as he locked the door and crush the key with his sword. No one has come up here since." Roy's voice shook.

"He blamed himself... for what I did." Roy said quietly.

"I'm sorry. Why... why did..." Zelda blushed and let her words trail out. Roy looked up at her, his eyes locking with hers.

"Why did I kill myself, you mean?" He said dryly.

Zelda nodded and pulled her knees to her chest.

"Do you really wanna hear this?" Roy bit his lip, his eyes troubled.

Zelda hesitated, was this really something you asked someone? Her own lavender eyes widened, she had to know, there was no going back.

"I do."

_I hope you liked this, guys! I know it's short, but I really wanted to update so I could share the good news with my lovely readers... I got accepted into Arizona State University! Yay! Not my first choice, but it's the first one I've heard back from so far! _

_Anyways, expect a lot more updates in the next 2 weeks, I'm on winter break! Woo Hoo!_

_Happy Holidays!_


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